A British man who fought against so-called Islamic State is to be charged with a terror offence.

Ex-soldier Jim Matthews, 43, of London, travelled to Syria and fought with the Kurdish forces, the YPG.

Mr Matthews will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 14 February to be charged with one count of attending a place used for terrorist training.

He appeared in a Channel 4 documentary - The Brits battling Isis - about his fight against the jihadist group.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said Mr Matthews was alleged to have attended "a place or places in Iraq and Syria where instruction or training was provided for purposes connected to the commission or preparation of terrorism on or before 15 February 2016".

The offence comes under section 8 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

Analysis
By BBC News correspondent Emma Vardy

This is believed to be the first charge of its kind in the UK.

It is estimated that since 2015 dozens of Britons have fought as volunteers with the Kurds in Syria.

The YPG have been important allies of the West in helping to defeat so-called Islamic State.

But terrorism laws in the UK prohibit engaging in violence for a political or ideological cause.

It has so far been unclear how the actions of Britons fighting against Islamic State would be treated by the British courts.

The government has long repeated warnings that fighting with any group could lead to legal consequences.

From that article, the law seems clear. I'm puzzled by us letting in hundreds of ISIS fighters. How do you know? I thought the jihadis we had here had been recruited via the internet, rather than those who have returned from Syria or Iraq.
Can you point me to any articles which show how many have been let back in?

No, it doesn't sum this country up at all.
This country is filled with people who know what the right thing is, some even go to the extremes of fighting for it, and in some cases dying

The laws however need looking at.

I'm no legal expert but my take on it would be that the law is fine, it's just who we pursue under it that's at issue here. From reading the article they've been charged with "attending a place used for terrorist training." It can't mention sides, if it did then the jihadis could simply claim they were fighting for someone other than ISIS and you'd need extremely compelling evidence to the contrary to convict. The wording of the offence seems to me to be intended to catch ISIS returnees. Which begs the question......

From that article, the law seems clear. I'm puzzled by us letting in hundreds of ISIS fighters. How do you know? I thought the jihadis we had here had been recruited via the internet, rather than those who have returned from Syria or Iraq.
Can you point me to any articles which show how many have been let back in?

.....if hundreds of them are being let in through our unprotected borders why aren't we picking them up. Either they don't exist or the evidence needed to prove they're ISIS doesn't. I don't think there's a single person involved who wouldn't want to bang up returning ISIS fighters. We currently have one of the most reactionary governments in living memory and stretched security services looking for a quick win. If these guys existed I'd expect them to be picked up bluntly.